


Impossible Horizons

by iomccoy



Series: Vetteverse [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Sith Inquisitor!Vette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-06-09 21:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6924868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iomccoy/pseuds/iomccoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vette, Twi'lek pirate, is captured while robbing tombs on Korriban. This is how things go.</p><p>An unlikely acolyte is brought to Korriban to train under Overseer Harkun. This, too, is how things go.</p><p>They happen to be the same person. This is <i>not</i> how things go, but they're going that way anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thrown to the Wolves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Your boundaries may serve to stop the fools, but there ain't no way you're gonna keep me here."
> 
> –Seanan McGuire, _Paper Moon_

The trooper on the shuttle gave Vette a good shove as she exited. "Hey!" she protested, stumbling out. She shot him a brief glare—which he ignored—then turned back to the rest of the group. There weren't really that many, now that she thought about it. There was her, of course; the skinny, redheaded female human who had left the shuttle first; the burly pair of male humans who had exited just before Vette—

—and her curiosity was promptly interrupted by another newcomer, who roughly shoved past her. He was wearing something sinister and hooded, and she caught a glimpse of red, ridged skin beneath his cowl. The horrible thought flashed through her mind that this might be their overseer, but he joined the other acolytes instead. _I can see where this is going,_ Vette thought, hurrying after the others.

As she drew near, the human man at the head of the loose cluster of acolytes let his gaze linger on her. He narrowed his eyes. "Ah," he said, "the last one to arrive is finally here. I hope you don't think you're special."

"Isn't that why we're all here?" Vette asked, grinning. She thought she saw a hint of a smile from the redhead before the overseer spoke again.

"You're not Sith _yet,_ slave," he said, and the ends of Vette's _lekku_ curled with anger.

"I'm _not_ a slave," she protested. _Haven't been for years._ "Okay, so I got captured, but—"

"Oh, yes. My mistake," he drawled, cutting her off. "You're the _criminal_ scum." He looked around at the assembled acolytes—minus the hooded one, who had already wandered off to who-knows-where. "You pieces of refuse would hardly be qualified to clean Lord Zash's boots, much less become her apprentice. But you'll get your trials. Now get to them, while I inform our latecomer of _hers._ "

As they filed away, the redhead turned to Vette. "Watch your back, friend. But don't worry, it'll be alright. He can't kill us all."

Vette shot her another grin. "I've been in tougher spots than this," she said. "I'll be fine. Look—what's your name?"

Surprise flickered across her face for a moment. "Kory," she said.

"I'm Vette." She put a hand on Kory's shoulder. "Good luck, okay?"

Kory nodded mutely and followed the others, leaving Vette alone with the overseer.

Vette crossed her arms and gave him her best self-assured smile. "So," she said, "what's my trial?"

He frowned at her. "There's a hermit named Spindrall in the tomb of Ajunta Pall. He's a complete lunatic. Find him, complete whatever nonsense test he has for you. That's your trial. Don't keep him waiting, thug."

Vette opened her mouth to reply, but the overseer walked away without another word.

 

\---

Vette caught up to Kory at about the same time the human woman had reached the front doors of the Academy. Away from the overseer's eyes, Kory's steps were slower, nearly sullen, and her presence clouded with worry. "Kory!" Vette called out.

Kory turned around, eyes widening. "Vette?" she asked. "I didn't think—what are you doing?"

"Talking to you," Vette said, beaming. "But if you meant 'what's the plan,' I'll tell you as we're walking."

With a wary sideways glance, Kory fell in step with Vette. "Plan?"

Vette shrugged. "Plan. See, you were right back there—he _can't_ kill us all. But I figure we're in this together, don't you?"

Kory started, then looked at Vette with plain shock on her face. "I—yes, I do. But..." She trailed off, glancing around in confusion.

Vette said, "That's the spirit! If I've just been given a pardon 'cause I can zap people, anything can happen. Now let's hurry—we're gonna need the time." Without any more warning, she grabbed Kory's hand and pulled her along, and—whether due to agreement or plain helpless shock—Kory let her.

They'd descended the steps and were nearly to the tomb entrance itself by the time Kory had recovered enough to ask, "Vette—what _is_ the plan?"

"We're going to do the one thing he doesn't expect," Vette said, peering into the tomb. "We're going to work together." She looked over her shoulder at Kory. "Coast's clear. Looks like all those slug-bug-things are already dead." She walked into the tomb, her _lekku_ swaying confidently.

Kory followed her in. "Just like that?" she asked, looking like she might turn tail at any moment.

"Just like that," Vette confirmed. She looked down. "More stairs—guess Sith really like stairs, huh?"

That garnered a brief, unexpected laugh. "I guess so," Kory said. She took a few tentative steps down, moving as if she expected the stairs to fall away from her.

"Come on," Vette said, grabbing Kory by the wrist. "There aren't any traps." She began pulling again, and the human sped up slightly.

"How do you know?" Kory asked.

"No bodies on the stairs!" Vette chirped, taking the steps two at a time.

"What? That's—ack!" Kory had stopped to talk, but Vette hadn't stopped dragging her, and she ended up taking three-stair jump to avoid being yanked prone. Finally at the bottom of the steps, she shook her head. "We _can't_ work together. The trials don't work that way!"

"Who cares?" Vette asked, grinning brightly. "What the overseer doesn't know won't hurt him—or, more importantly, us." She gestured broadly towards the dusty stone chamber before them. "Besides—when've you ever heard of Sith following the rules?"

"I suppose you've got a point," Kory conceded. "But if Overseer Harkun asks, I'm going to tell him that I'm plotting to betray you."

"Fair enough," Vette replied, fiddling with the strap that held her training sword to her back. She finally got it loose, and waved it threateningly in the general direction of their objective. "Watch out, Harkun!"

"Watch out," Kory echoed, with rather less enthusiasm and rather more uncertainty. She drew her own blade with trembling hands. She gave Vette one last uncertain glance. "You're sure about this?"

"Sure as anything," Vette affirmed, unhesitating.

Kory's fingers tightened around the hilt of her blade. "Then I am too," she said, looking towards their unseen goal with a determined turquoise stare.

 

\---

Vette frantically whacked at the insectoid in front of her. It scrabbled at her with too many legs, bit at her _lekku,_ and skittered around nearly half her blows. "Kory! This thing won't _die!_ "

Kory kicked her own foe into a wall, and a few more times for good measure. "Zap it!" she suggested.

Vette's expression brightened. "Right. Right! I can _do_ that!" She grabbed one of the insectoid's many limbs. "Get _off_ me, you overgrown bug!" She shoved electricity into it until it went limp.

"Did it work?" Kory shouted, as another of the insectoids blocked her view.

"Yup!" Vette called back, shooting sparks at the new enemy.

Kory kicked the insectoid in the face, to the detriment of her boot. "How do you do it?"

Vette, using the training sword like a club, hit the bug a couple of times. "Just pretend you're shoving a blaster crystal through a live wire!"

"I've never _done_ —" Kory yelped and dodged the bug's tail. Tiny bolts of lightning shot from her fingers as if startled out of her. She paused, staring at the twitching, jerking body of the insectoid. "No, actually, you're right. That _is_ what it feels like."

"Told you," Vette said, shrugging. Idly twirling the training sword, she glanced at the next archway. "Anyways, I think we're here."

Kory shouldered her own sword. "Right," she said. "Who's first?"

Vette gave her a toothy, mischievous grin, her _lekku_ coiling in amusement. "Both of us."

Kory just gaped at Vette for a moment. "What? _Why?_ "

Vette attempted her best innocent look. "We're in this together, aren't we?"

Kory deflated slightly. "Yes, we are." She sighed and offered Vette a lopsided smile. "In for a credit, in for a car-full, I suppose."

"I'll owe you that credit," Vette said, stepping through the arch, "so let's catch the car." She glanced around the room, taking in possible threats—like the six robed humans meditating at various points in the room. She patted her belt for a blaster that had been confiscated, wrinkled her nose, and made her way towards the brown-clad man at the head of the room, her pace an easy, confident saunter. She didn't have to look to know that Kory was still following; out of sight or not, Kory's presence was a flickering candle at the back of Vette's mind.

The man at the top of the steps had to be Spindrall; the tomb would hardly have _two_ hermits of debatable sanity and veracity living within. He didn't look up as Vette and Kory approached, but Vette thought she sensed a flicker of surprise before he dampened his presence. With a tiny shake of his head, Spindrall said, "Two acolytes, where there should be one. Together, in defiance of Sith tradition."

"Well, from where I stand," Vette said, "it seems like the only real tradition Sith have is doing whatever the heck they feel like. And I'm definitely not defying _that_ tradition." She smiled sunnily, spreading her hands, as if to say that all of this had just _happened,_ somehow, without any interference on _her_ part.

"A true Sith follows her passions. A _smart_ Sith does not allow them to rule her." Spindrall stood, finally, and faced the pair. "But neither of you is Sith yet. I see two acolytes before me. One is stronger than she knows, the other weaker than she admits. One is a nascent leader, the other destined forever to follow."

"Who cares about destiny?" Vette asked. "There's no point to life if we just submit to whatever fate has in store for us."

"And you?" Spindrall inquired, staring at Kory with a steady, unsettling gaze.

Kory straightened slightly, and there was an air of immovable determination about her. "We all follow something," she said. "Even if it's only our own ambition."

Spindral watched them for a long, long moment. "Indeed," he finally said. Though his expression didn't change, he suddenly seemed to be looking at nothing at all. "And so you have come here, to learn the ways of the Dark Side from an old man in a tomb." He shook his head again. "To be Sith, you must understand what it _means_ to be Sith. For that, you must understand the Code. 'Peace is a lie...'"

Vette watched for a moment as Spindrall paced back and forth, reciting a mantra everyone knew already, then looked over at Kory, who, despite the resolve she had exhibited and was still demonstrating, was trembling slightly, clutching the hilt of her sword like a lifeline. Vette edged a little bit closer to Kory and rested the tip of one of her _lekku_ on the human's shoulder. Kory shot Vette a grateful look and watched Spindrall with renewed focus.

When he had finished reciting the Sith Code, Spindrall turned to look at them once again. His gaze was just as hard, just as piercing on Vette as it had seemed to be on Kory. The Twi'lek shifted slightly, uncomfortable. "The path you have set yourselves upon is not an easy one—indeed, it may be harder than the ones you would follow alone," Spindrall said. "If you truly wish to complete this trial together, you must prove the worth of such an attempt." He beckoned to the shadows, and more acolytes crept out. Three of them, then another three, until finally thirteen acolytes stood, each equidistant from the ones next to them, encircling the room.

Some of them were pallid and malnourished beneath their robes—they had clearly been in the tomb for quite a while. All of them had envy in their eyes. Spindrall gestured towards them. "They would kill you and take your place. Prove you deserve to keep it."

Vette felt Kory's courage flicker and pulled her closer. "Stay at my back," she hissed. "Whatever else happens, they won't get us from behind." Back-to-back and slowly turning, they made their way to the center of the room.

The acolytes attacked. They rushed the pair with no regard for formation or tactics, and the first couple to reach Vette and Kory were held easily at bay. There were a lot of them, though. Blows came, faster and more numerous every moment.

Vette parried a strike, kicked out at an exposed ankle, parried again. Shot sparks. Dared to attempt a tiny bit of telekinesis, found it too weak to do more than momentary unbalancing. Three strikes at once swept towards her, and Vette managed to block two of them. The third reached her, burning a thick line across the skin of her shoulder. Hissing in pain, she whirled around and pumped electricity into the acolyte that had hit her until he fell shrieking to the ground.

Realizing that she'd left an opening, she used her _lekku_ to tug Kory back into position. It wasn't quite fast enough. Kory cried out, hit by some unseen blow, and thudded _hard_ against Vette's spine.

"Kory!" Vette yelled, doing her best to steady Kory from behind. "Right—new plan." She hooked her free arm around Kory's, cleared the way with a bolt of lightning, and rushed back towards the steps.

Kory yanked away on the second stair, though she was still unbalanced by her hurt leg. "What _now?_ " she asked, eyes wide.

"They're bottlenecked!" Vette said, bringing her sword down onto an acolyte's head. "Now we hold the line!"

"It's a pretty small line," Kory said, with a moment of breathy, desperate laughter, and then the enemy was again upon them.

Vette was pretty sure she was getting the hang of this whole lightning thing. The attacking acolytes were fewer than they had been. Too many to count, in the heat of battle, but their numbers were definitely lessened. Vette and Kory found something of a rhythm. Parry. Strike. Parry, parry, _zot..._

And then, after an indeterminate amount of time, the last of their attackers fell. Vette stepped forwards, extending a hand towards empty air, before her partner nudged her. "They're all gone," Kory said, sounding astonished—and a tiny bit sick.

Vette patted Kory's back with one of her _lekku._ "Looks like," she said. She turned back around and flashed Spindrall a slightly manic grin. "So—did we pass?"

The hermit's expression was impassive. "Return to your overseer. Let your fear of him give you strength."

"Who says I'm afraid?" Vette whispered to no one in particular. More loudly, she added, "Sounds like we made it. Coming, Kory?"

Kory nodded, her expression distant and numb, and the pair started the long walk back.


	2. Points of: Divergence, Conflict, and No Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vette conducts an interrogation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And, too soon, I am drawn in..."
> 
> –Julia Ecklar, _Ladyhawke!_

"By some miracle," Overseer Harkun said, sounding as if he was sucking lemons, "you all passed the first trial. Obviously, Spindrall's more useless than I thought." He shook his head in disgust. "Nevertheless, that was only your _first_ trial. You will not be so lucky next time." He gestured towards the hooded, red-skinned acolyte from before, who had rejoined the group. "Meet our newcomer—Ffon Althe. This is real Sith strength, and he will tear you apart and crush your bones. Look on him! No connections left in the world, but pure Sith blood! This—this is Lord Zash's future apprentice! Not filth like you!"

Vette gave him an unimpressed look. "I've seen scarier," she said.

Ffon's eyes—which glowed a rather ominous red—narrowed. "I'll be the _last_ thing you see."

Harkun cleared his throat. "You know your trials—aside from our two latecomers, of course. The rest of you, get to it. You too, Ffon. Spindrall awaits." The room emptied, until only Vette and Kory stood before Harkun. "Now," he said, "listen to me. Spindrall is a lunatic. His approval means nothing. You are filth and you will die. Is that clear?"

"We all die someday," Vette said, shrugging.

"Shut up, thug, and listen to me. I have a special trial for you, which you will no doubt fail. Inquisitor Zyn is waiting for you in the jails. He will fill you in on the details—and, most likely, hasten your demise." He turned to Kory. "As for you, there's been a small problem with tomb robbers—friends of our pirate here, no doubt. Back to the tomb of Ajunta Pall with you, slave."

Kory inclined her head. "Yes, overseer." She looked over at Vette. "And—good luck."

Vette grinned. "You too, Kory. Give my old competitors my regards." She'd been covering Taunt and the others' escapes—they were long gone, whatever Harkun thought. She walked out of the room, still smiling to herself. She was no stranger to jails, and if Harkun thought she'd be easy to hold—well, he'd soon know better.

\---

Vette disliked Inquisitor Zyn immediately, both on principle—those who held the title "Inquisitor" were not, in general, particularly nice people—and because he practically oozed sliminess. Physically, he was a large man, imposing, his hair close-shaved and graying. And he smiled too much. Far, far too much.

Vette suppressed a shudder, walked up to him, and confidently extended a hand. "I'm Vette. You wanted to see me?"

Zyn shook it exuberantly. "And not a moment too soon! Look over there," he said.

Vette had been trying to _not_ look over there, but she did so anyway. Badly bruised and shackled to a gray metal slab was a male human, his hair a darker, redder shade than Kory's. Vette glanced back at the inquisitor, somewhat bewildered—this didn't _look_ like an attempt to lock her up, unless the imprisoned human was a distraction or threat.

Zyn took this as his cue to explain, "The miserable excuse for an acolyte over there witnessed what we call an 'unauthorized murder' here in the Academy, so I sent up to see if there were any acolytes who needed some hands-on experience." This caused another one of those chillingly sincere smiles. "What _irony,_ then, that I received the one who was, such a short time ago, bound here for interrogation herself."

Vette laughed nervously at the unwelcome reminder. "Yeah, magnet for irony, that's me," she said, sticking her hands behind her back to hide her fidgeting. "So, uh, what do you want me to do with him?"

"Why, get the perpetrator's name out of him—by any means necessary, of course. I'm sure it will be nothing unfamiliar, given your unusual background," Zyn said in what he probably _thought_ was an encouraging tone of voice. "I always enjoy watching the acolytes work. So full of enthusiasm!"

_Yeah, I_ bet _you do,_ Vette thought. _Bastard._ She looked back over at the unfortunate acolyte. _"Unusual background" my little blue_ lekku— _what does he think pirates_ do _all day? Because the answer isn't "zap people."_ She sighed. "Right," she said, walking over to the captive. _Let's see how this goes._

The acolyte looked up at her approach. "Please," he said, "don't hurt me. I don't know anything."

Vette resisted the urge to glance back over her shoulder—yes, Inquisitor Zyn was over there, a few feet away, but looking at him wouldn't change that—and instead bent down to whisper into the acolyte's ear, "Look, I have a plan, but you gotta play along."

He flinched away and asked, just as quietly, "How do I know that you'll actually help?"

Vette shrugged. "I guess you don't," she hissed, "but I'm the best chance you've got, okay? I'm Vette, by the way. What's your name?"

A little bit of the panic drained out of his expression. "Alif," he mumbled. "What's your plan? What can you or I hope to do against the apprentice of a Dark Council member?"

Vette waggled a finger, which Alif watched dubiously. "That would be telling," she said, "but I _can_ tell you that it's better than staying here."

"I don't know," Alif said. "I'm alive right here."

"Yeah," Vette said, "and if you'd gotten anyone else, you'd be getting electrocuted right now. Now, are you going to help me, or are you going to get us both killed?"

He grimaced. "I'm dead either way."

Vette shook her head, barely avoiding hitting him in the face with her _lekku._ "No, you're dead if you stay here. If you help me out, you're only _maybe_ dead. 'Sides, if you've got a choice—wouldn't you rather go down fighting?"

Alif closed his eyes. "I—I suppose you're right." He let out a breath, his body going slack with resignation. "The murderer's name is Essor Kayin. That's what you needed, right? And—you'll protect me? Somehow?"

Vette nodded. "That's right. Now, I gotta keep up appearances—when I start up the special effects, you scream, alright?"

His eyes widened again. "Wait—"

"I'm done playing nice!" Vette yelled, straightening. Her hands crackled with lightning. She didn't let it loose, though, instead bending over to give Alif a good look at the electricity sparking between her fingers. "Talk!"

Bewilderment and fear reigned for a few tense moments before recognition dawned on him. "Essor Kayin!" Alif repeated, this time frantically and at the top of his lungs. "His name is Essor Kayin! Don't hurt me!"

The lightning dissipated. "That's all I need to know," Vette said smugly, dusting off her hands. She walked back over to Zyn. "Got your info," she said.

"No need to tell me, acolyte, I heard it loud and clear—though I _sorely_ wish I hadn't," said the inquisitor, shaking his head.

Vette shrugged. "Sorry." She crossed her arms, her _lekku_ entwining nervously behind her. "So, uh, what happens now? To that acolyte, I mean."

"Oh, he'll certainly die—after I let him go, that is. It's the way of such things; Essor Kayin will come looking for revenge soon enough." Zyn gave her another one of those supposedly-encouraging smiles. " _You,_ however, have passed your trial. Indulge my curiosity, though—what _was_ all that whispering?"

"Sweet talk," Vette said immediately. At Zyn's amused look, she added, "Hey, it was worth a shot."

"Well, in any case, I have what I need. Go on back to your overseer."

Vette bobbed her head. "Right," she said, sidling towards the door. "Going now." She turned and speedily exited.

Once in the hallway outside, Vette wandered over to lean against the wall. _I figure that was faster than most of the trials, considering last time,_ she thought, watching the entrance to the jails carefully. _Plenty of time to get Alif out of here, and probably to help Kory as well._

After what couldn't have been more than a couple minutes, Alif walked through the doorway, cringing and glancing wildly around. When he saw Vette, his eyes narrowed. "You!" he yelled. "You said you'd _help_ me! And now I'm going to _die!_ "

"Shh!" Vette said. She took a step towards him and wrapped a _lekku_ around his shoulders. "Not so loud. Now follow me." She put a hand on his left arm and steered him down the hallway.

"Didn't you hear what he said?" Alif demanded, waving his free hand frantically. "I'm going to die! Essor Kayin is going to kill me!"

"No," Vette said firmly, "he isn't. Unless you run off screaming, in which case I won't be able to help you. Now come on—we're going to one of those tombs. Agitated something."

There was a brief silence. Alif's right hand clapped over his eyes. "Ajunta Pall?"

"Yeah," Vette agreed, "that makes more sense." She sped up, and the steering became something closer to dragging. "Now come on—we've got to go help Kory."

"Who's Kory?" Alif moaned, scrambling after her.

\---

They found Kory crouched behind a pile of debris, breathing heavily and clutching her leg. She still noticed their approach near-immediately.

"I will _never_ get used to this whole 'sensing people nearby' thing," Vette proclaimed. "Sounded like a headache before, gives me a headache now." She bent down to peer at Kory. "You okay?"

Kory flinched at the sudden invasion of personal space. "A... little less close, please."

"Oh. Sorry." Vette backed up a couple steps. "So, uh, how're you doing with your trial?"

Kory rubbed at her leg, then winced and withdrew her hand, revealing a blaster burn. "Fine, until the last shot hit me in the leg. I don't know how I'm going to get back to the Academy like this."

Vette bit her lip. "Looks superficial, but don't hold me to that. I'm not a medic, I just get shot at a lot."

"How encouraging," mumbled Alif. Vette ignored him.

Kory, emboldened by the diagnosis, attempted to stand, which prompted another wince. She hissed as she drew in breath. "Hurts worse than the bruises those bug-things left," she whispered. Vette offered an arm, which Kory ignored in favor of dropping back down against the mound of broken rock.

Vette said, "There's gotta be medical supplies somewhere up there. At the very least, the overseers must get injured sometimes, and _they're_ not stuck in this twisted little bit of evolution-in-action."

"That doesn't help _us,_ " Alif pointed out.

Vette smiled toothily. "It does if we steal some."

He groaned and shook his head. "You're nuts, Vette. Just leave her. I don't like it either—I don't like _anything_ about this place—but she's as good as dead."

Vette rounded on him, _lekku_ curling in anger. "As good as dead? Maybe she is, but so are you! So am I, even—this whole place is a sadistic deathtrap, bent on turning out good little monsters. Or bad little monsters. Whatever. My point is, _none_ of us are going to get through this without the others." She jabbed a finger at his chest. "Nobody's getting left behind. You _got_ that?"

"I got that you're going to get us all killed," Alif said, shrinking back.

"Nobody is going to die, either," Vette added vehemently. "I saved you. Now it's time for us all to save each other, 'cause nobody else is going to do it."

"I also see that I can't talk you out of it," Alif said, looking miserable and somewhat cowed. "Fine. You got us into this mess, so let's see if you can get us out again."

"We're all going to get each other out," Vette said. "Just you wait." She grinned again, crossing her arms. "I mean that. _Wait._ Guard Kory, and leave the kolto to me."

Alif walked over to the debris pile and crouched down, sighing. "Not like I have any other options, is it?"

Kory gently rested a hand on his shoulder. "None of us do. This is our best shot."


	3. Adventures in Droid Disassembly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detours are made, droids are encountered, and doctors are irritated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "No! No disassemble!"
> 
> –Number Five, _Short Circuit_

Vette raced across the open space that lay between the Tomb of Ajunta Pall and the walls of the Sith Academy. Her eyes darted left and right, scanning for any hint of usefulness—she knew she'd seen a medical droid earlier, but it was gone now.

If she'd been looking forwards, rather than everywhere at once, she probably would have avoided crashing into an all-too-familiar hooded figure. As it was, Vette and Ffon Althe nearly went down in a tangled heap.

"Ffon," Vette groaned up from the sand she'd fallen into. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Eager to face your destruction, pirate?" Ffon asked, sneering down at her. "Or were you planning to recruit me into your pathetic alliance?"

Vette hopped to her feet and dusted herself off. "That was _sarcasm,_ you overgrown sunburn," she muttered. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a trial to get to."

Bewilderment and anger fought for control of Ffon's expression. Anger won. " _Sunburn?_ Who do you think you are?"

"My name's Vette, _not_ a pleasure to meet you." She carefully stepped around the Pureblood and started walking towards the Academy.

"You can't protect her from me, you know," Ffon said as she went by. "As soon as nobody's looking, all your hopes will vanish in a shower of blood."

Vette stopped. "You hurt her," she said, turning to glare at him, "and, rules of the Academy or no, you're gonna regret it." She thought she could see sparks dancing at the edge of her vision. "Now go back and hide behind Harkun, _sunburn._ "

"I hide behind no one," Ffon growled. He stalked off down one of the side paths, presumably leading to another tomb. Vette breathed a sigh of relief; he wasn't after Kory and Alif. Not yet.

When he was gone, she looked back up at the steep Academy ramp. "Right," she said quietly, a slight tremor in her voice. She started climbing.

\---

The Sith Academy seemed to get a little bit bleaker every time Vette entered. The fact that she was alone, looking for a hypothetical medical facility of unknown location and security, did nothing to help that. Still, she was sure something more than apprehension was the cause of the creeping dread that chilled the air and seeped into her skin.

She turned a corner, doing her best to look purposeful. There were acolytes everywhere; nobody would notice one more. _Probably nobody's even keeping track,_ she reassured herself. She stepped against a wall to let one of the omnipresent probe droids pass, and an idea lit in her mind. There were probe droids everywhere—as sinister as they were, they'd surely know where to find medical supplies.

Vette had seen them going by at regular intervals; she'd just have to keep walking forwards, and she'd come up on the next one in the patrol soon enough. Then she'd just need to put on a convincing Sith act, and she'd have what she needed.

Well, she'd be able to _get_ what she needed.

Another probe droid entered the hall from one of the side passages, spun to face Vette, and beeped in confusion as Vette stepped into its path. It attempted to float around her, but Vette moved to block it again.

[B73 = patrolling // Acolyte = obstructing patrol area,] it beeped.

Vette stepped forwards and grabbed one of its dangling "legs." She glared at it. "Tell me the way to the medbay and I'll let you go," she said. She winced as a cyan light flashed across her face, leaving her seeing spots. 

[Acolyte = on trial // B73 = forbidden to assist.]

Vette shook her head in exasperation. Of _course_ the droids would know all of the acolytes—there had to be a registry somewhere. "Look, are—are you electrically shielded?" she asked, hoping it wouldn't call her bluff.

It wriggled in panic. [B73 = loyal droid!] it beeped frantically. [B73 = cannot defy programming!]

Vette deflated. "Alright, alright," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you." She suddenly pulled it closer, causing it to wiggle even faster. "Sit still! Or float still! I'm just going to fix a little problem." She grabbed another of the writhing legs and lifted it up to one of the screws on B73's spherical chassis.

[B73 ≠ broken! // _B73 ≠ broken!_ ]

Vette gave it a guilty look, but continued dismantling B73's outer shell. The last screw was removed, and a telekinetic shove sent the top part of B73's plating clattering to the ground. Vette nearly lost her grip on the droid, but managed to grab it again before it could escape. "I'm not going to hurt you," she repeated, peering into the tangle of wiring below.

Finally, she found what she was looking for. With a sharp yank, Vette removed the droid's restraining bolt. "There," she said, and hastily began reassembling B73's plating. It wouldn't do for the next probe droid in the rotation to find her with B73 still partially disassembled. When everything was in place, she let go.

[????] beeped B73, flailing in all directions. [B73 = ? // B73 = ?]

Vette patted the top of the probe droid's chassis. "B73 equals B73, that's what."

B73 drooped. [B73 = damaged // B73 = fail next inspection.]

Vette winced. _I didn't think of that. And it's not like I can put the restraining bolt back_ now _—that would just be cruel._ She patted B73 again, this time in an attempt to comfort the droid. "I'm sorry. Look, I'll try and get you out of here, okay? Even if you don't want to help me."

[Acolyte = confusing,] B73 warbled quietly. [B73 = want to live // B73 = reluctantly helping.]

Vette gently brushed her hand against the end of one of B73's limbs. "Thank you," she said. "Alright, Bee—can I call you Bee?"

Bee bobbed up and down. [Bee = acceptable designation.]

"Alright, Bee," Vette repeated. "To the medbay it is."

\---

With Bee's guidance, they quickly reached a small medical facility. The room contained one human doctor, beleaguered; two medical droids, busy; and four acolytes, in various states of injury.

"More acolytes," the doctor muttered under his breath as they entered. He sighed and walked over. For the first time, he seemed to notice Bee. "Sorry, I don't do droid repair."

"That's not why I'm here," Vette said. "I need a can of kolto."

"You don't look injured, so it can't be that bad. Now let me get back to dealing with these two." He jerked a thumb at the nearer pair, both displaying electrical burns and bearing expressions somewhere between sullen and murderous. "Really," he admonished them, walking back over, "a duel next to an open electrical conduit? It was clearly marked 'out of order,' too. You're lucky that you didn't cut power to half the Academy!"

"I'm going to tear somebody's throat out," grumbled the first acolyte—female, short, and orange-eyed. "Maybe yours."

"And then you'd have nobody to treat your wounds," the doctor pointed out. "Certainly not these droids! They're utterly _hopeless_ without supervision. Hand me that stimpac, XC-452."

Vette stepped forwards, clearing her throat. "Look, I _really_ need—"

The doctor looked over his shoulder. "Oh, you're still here?" He waved a hand. "Fine, fine, talk to one of the droids. When they're done with the rest of the unfortunate duelists, that is."

Vette eyed the two at the far side of the room—both were unconscious and laid out on medical beds while droids carried out some arcane variety of Medicine. "Isn't a duel two people?" she asked, wandering over.

"They both cheated, of course," said the doctor, not looking up from his patient. "Thought they'd use the conduit to their advantage too, no doubt. Reminds me of my own training—I was better at it, of course."

Gaping, Vette turned to stare at him. "You're _Sith?_ "

He _tsk_ ed at his patient and snatched a medpac from a nearby table. "Well, obviously. Can't have any random Force-sensitive with a bare inch of talent coming in and rummaging around in the doctor's brain, can we? Now go get your can of kolto and stop bothering me with stupid questions."

_Sith doctors,_ Vette thought. _Now I've really seen it all._ With difficulty, she tore her gaze away from the doctor. "I guess that makes some twisted, Sith-y kind of sense. Excee, was it? Could—yeah." The droid was already holding out a kolto can, which Vette took. "Thanks. I'm just going to go now, okay?" No one raised any objection, and Vette hastily exited, Bee trailing along behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kinda iffy on this one, but I can't put my finger on what's bothering me. I hope it's just authorial paranoia. In any case, better just to post it rather than obsessing. :/


End file.
